"I want to be fighting for this Vuelta" - Richard Carapaz growing in strength and confidence in quest for 2nd Grand Tour victory
Cycling
He might have started somewhat slowly at the 2024 Vuelta a Espana, but Richard Carapaz is growing into the final Grand Tour of the year. With the first week done, the Ecuadorian is now up to 3rd overall, just 4:32 off the Red Jersey of Ben O'Connor.
“I understand that we have already had the worst days of heat. I hope to be able to improve, because it is one of my virtues, and to find better legs," assesses the EF Education-EasyPost leader and former Giro d'Italia winner in conversation with AS on the first rest day of the 2024 Vuelta a Espana. "There are many stages that I like and I want to be fighting for this Vuelta.”
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Whilst he wasn't competing for the general classification at the Tour de France earlier this summer, Carapaz starred, winning both stage 17 and taking home the King of the Mountains jersey also. “After the falls, after everything I have had to go through this year, it is being a good season for me and I am enjoying it,” Carapaz reflects.
With EF Education-EasyPost having lost both Rui Costa and Rigoberto Uran from this Grand Tour following separate crashes however, much of the team's hopes of success rest on the shoulders of Carapaz. Although that brings with it extra pressures, the Ecuadorian is intent on making a success of the 2024 Vuelta a Espana for his team. "We are still fighting," he concludes determinedly. "There is still a lot of mountains to come."
With 9 stages down, Carapaz is as mentioned, currently sitting 3rd overall after his long range attack on Sunday's stage 9 saw him pull back two minutes and six seconds in the general classification. As the race enters terrain that suits him in the coming weeks, expect more attacking and aggressive riding from Carapaz in the stages to come.
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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- He should have been allowed to go to Movistar. Right now both arent a good fit for each other and are just wasting each other's time and effortabstractengineer08-11-2026
- Thibau Nys does exactly what Iserbyt is calling for
Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026 - i did not see it. was the relegation justified or an overly hard decision? and don‘t cross riders deviate from straight lines all the time? bumping into each others when they cut corners, etc … why being more strict with the rules on the finish sprint?Ketterechts08-11-2026
- seems like we are advertising the website with pointless comments…Ketterechts08-11-2026
- So?Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- The UCI do have their favorites.
Front24208-11-2026 - On a positive note, you maybe notice turning this topic into a discussion has the benefit of eliminating certain participants who do not see how they can turn it back to their sole interest ;-)Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- People see what they want to. I am actually the opposite of your accusation, probably more of a rebel than most of you who don’t get the big picture. The difference is, I don’t go moaning publicly about the consequences of my transgressions, I understand the need for rules and I take my OWN responsibility when deciding to ignore or break them or doing so involuntarily. I will also not hesitate to state my case or argue vehemently when relevant, sometimes it works, sometimes it makes things worse but that’s the price to pay for principles and having character.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- That may be but that was unknown to others and nothing says that’s the whole truth. Again, don’t try to misinterpret, it is a call and technically it is correct. Besides, even if there is a valid reason, that does not disqualify the ruling or punishment as far as the rules have been developed. I don’t think they’re as far as in football where for handball there is a distinction (in some ways and specific cases) between intentional or not. And football can be just as harsh and people live with it, eg the offside rule, also judged to within tiny fractions but often wrong or ignored. It’s the nature of every collective organisation and sometimes I wonder if our rebellion against it isn’t seated in the feelings we carry from the injustices we’ve felt personally, like being flashed driving 1km/h too fast when we are explained limits are just a security measure but we are absolutely certain not to have endangered anyone with our transgression. The problem is, nobody has better solutions and no 2 people have the same interpretation of where a limit should be.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- Because for you deviated implies the other rider MUST have been made to fall and fail to finish ??? I don’t know if you ride a bike but next time someone carves you up or drives dangerously close, just hold back from those feelings of changing something, reporting or filming or even complaining. Everyone will just say, hey you’re still here undamaged, doesn’t seem like anyone did anything.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
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Long, hot days of racing under the sun ☀️ Week 1 of the Vuelta is over, and while we rest (and cool down 🥶) we’re looking back at our favorite pics from the first 9 stages: efprocycling.com/culture/vuelta… 📸: Harry Talbot
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